Compost has a long history of helping the environment and recycling waste, but it could also help improve chemotherapy treatment. New research has revealed that the bacteria in compost contain a protein type that could be used to improve drug delivery. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published a study in recent years that details an innovative method for modifying protein cages to carry drugs. This process, which has shown promise in tests conducted in vitro, could allow enhanced drug delivery and reduced side effects from chemotherapy.
Role of Proteins.
Proteins play a vital role in the body. They are primarily found in the cells and they help to maintain health and strength. The amino acid variations determine how proteins will behave and their primary function. Taylor Szyszka is a synthetic biologist at the University of Sydney and the study’s author. She said that “nearly all of what happens inside a cell – from building protective membranes to producing electricity – requires proteins.”
Certain proteins are hollow, spherical, cylindrical structures known as protein cages. They act as containers to deliver materials into cells. This new study is focused on encapsulins – a group of protein cages which protect cargo from external threats by preventing it from escaping.
Packing a Protein cage
The researchers involved in the study discovered a method to unleash the potential of encapsulin, which was first found in bacteria in a compost pile in 2019. They were able add drugs by fusing the encapsulin with another protein before it could be assembled. The encapsulin would not have been able to transport or hold drugs if it had already assembled.
Researchers packed the encapsulins with doxorubicin, a chemotherapy drug that is used in the treatment of various cancers. This triggered assembly outside a living body. The researchers were able to tell that their test had been successful when they saw the fluorescent signals after loading the encapsulin with doxorubicin (a chemotherapy drug used for various cancers). Szyszka said in a press release that “This is the first time we’ve done it.” “Until now, it hasn’t been possible for encapsulins to efficiently load drugs. Previously, this could happen only by pulling encapsulins apart, loading them with a drug, and then reassembling them, a messy process which compromises the encapsulin’s stability.”
Improving Chemotherapy Drug Delivery
The results of the study offer hope for a more precise way of delivering cytotoxic drugs, commonly used in chemotherapy to kill cancer cells. Treatment with these drugs often causes side effects like nausea, hair loss, and fatigue. Improving the delivery of drugs to the correct site in the body could help lessen these side effects.
While protein cages are mostly touted as an option for cancer treatment, scientists have targeted other uses for them as well: They could potentially be used to modulate immune responses, treat skin conditions like pigmentation disorders, and deliver therapeutics through the eye.
Next, researchers hope to refine the encapsulin used in the study so it can aim for specific destinations in the body. For example, if the encapsulin holds a drug meant to treat liver disease, it should be able to head for liver cells.
“We’ve built the car, now we need to learn how to drive it,” concluded Szyszka in the press release.
